Peccadillo
/ˌpɛkəˈdɪloʊ/noun
A minor sin or petty offense.
Did you know?Peccadillo entered English from Spanish, where it was formed as a diminutive of pecado (“sin”), ultimately from Latin peccatum, so the word literally shrinks sin into something small enough to sound almost harmless.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
peccatum
“a fault, offense, or sin”
Spanish
Spanish
pecadillo
“a little sin or minor offense”
17th Century
English
peccadillo
“a petty sin or slight fault”
Modern English
English
peccadillo
“a minor offense or lapse”
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